Stotesbury Cup Regatta Brings Thousands of High School Rowers to Schuylkill River Schuylkill River, Road Closure to Kelly Drive

"The world's largest" high school rowing event, the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, takes over Philadelphia's Schuylkill River this weekend. With the thousands of young rowers and thousands more fans, a major road closure and detours through Fairmount Park are in place until Saturday night.

Kelly Drive Closed:

The races began Friday at 8 a.m. but the road closure already took effect the day before. A 1.5-mile stretch of Kelly Drive from Strawberry Mansion Drive to Fountain Green Drive was closed Thursday morning at 9.

The Kelly Drive closure allows crews to get boats and other equipment to the river's edge. It continues until the regatta is over Saturday at 8 p.m. During that time only permitted vehicles can enter the regatta zone.

Cars will be detoured off the river drive and onto Reservoir Drive in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia officials said.

Going to the Regatta?

You can watch the action, located about 2 miles north of Boathouse Row, for FREE.

You can prepay $15 to access parking areas adjacent to Reservoir Drive. Shuttle buses will take you to the action.

Be sure to get to the races early Saturday as Joe Biden's presidential rally in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Saturday afternoon is closing roads at the edge of Kelly Drive.

Here is the full racing schedule (weather permitting) with races happening throughout Friday and Saturday.

Public Transit for Spectators:

SEPTA's route 32 and 38 buses will drop passengers off near the Philadelphia Museum of Art where shuttle buses will be available at Lloyd Hall and Waterworks Drive, race organizer the Schuylkill Navy said.

Getting Around the Regatta:

The detour from Kelly Drive is posted but you can avoid the area entirely.

You can use the Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76) as an alternate route. Martin Luther King Drive, on the other side of the river, can be used Thursday and Friday. (It is closed for recreational use during the day Saturday.)

Regatta Fun Facts:

The regatta, established in 1927, is the largest and oldest scholastic rowing event in North America, drawing about 5,000 athletes from across the United States and Canada, organizers said.

If you want to taste some Philly at the race, the regatta has teamed up with Philly Pretzel Factory for "Crowd Pleaser" pretzel packages. There is also a selection of other Philly foods available at the Athlete's Village at Three Angels, downstream from the finish line.